Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, in a memorandum to the Northern Governors’ Forum (NGF), has accused the federal government of being behind the Boko Haram insurgency, with plans to deny citizens of northern Nigeria their voting rights in the next general elections.
The Nyako memorandum is being made public just as the state of emergency imposed in his state and two others comes to an end. The Adamawa State governor has been vehemently opposed to the emergency rule and any extension of it.
As the state of emergency rule expires today, President Goodluck Jonathan may ask for at least a three-month extension, but stakeholders in the northeast, including the governors, do not want a further extension.
A copy of the memorandum was e-mailed to LEADERSHIP Weekend, which the chief press secretary to the governor, Ahmed Sajoh confirmed was from the governor’s office. Niger State governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu, who serves as chairman of the forum, however said that they were yet to receive the memo.
In it, the governor alleged that those killing and maiming Nigerians were protected by the federal government and “imbedded in our legitimate and traditional defence and security organisations”.
All efforts by LEADERSHIP Weekend to reach the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati were however unfruitful. Calls to his phone did not go through.
Nyako said, “It is very clear that the protection of life and property of innocent citizens in Northern Nigeria and recognising their Human rights and Voting right in the forthcoming general elections is no longer a cardinal principle of the administration.”
He said, “Clearly the victims of the Administration’s evil-mindedness are substantially Northern Nigerians. The administration is bent on bringing war in the North between Muslims and Christians and within them and between one ethnic group and another or others in various communities in the region.
“Cases of mass murders by its bloody minded killers and cutthroats are well known, but it attributes the killings to so-called Boko-Haram.One must confess that all these elements of genocide have been perpetuated by the present Federal administration against the people of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States and is beginning to rapidly spread to other 14 States of Northern Nigeria.
“Hurrah we are no longer being deceived! We no longer accept let alone believe that our prominent Mallams in the Mosques in Kano and Zaria have been killed by ‘innocent’ Boko-Haram members or Christians in the North, nor do we believe that the killing of the Pastor and other worshippers in the Christ Apostolic Church in Jimeta-Yola was done by any Muslim or Boko-Haram members.
“We know where we are now pointing our fingers. There have also been attempts to assassinate the Senate President (Northerner) in Imo State, two Executive Governors of States in the North (the Governor of Benue State and my humble self), two of our most prominent Traditional leaders (Shehu of Borno and the Emir of Kano), Senators and others too numerous to mention, all from Northern Nigeria.”
Dr Umar Ardo, a PDP stakeholder in Adamawa State, reacting to the memo questioned the governor’s sincerity. Ardo said, “Since he claims that Adamawa State was undeserving of state of emergency, what did he do as a governor to protect the citizens of the state from this misapplication of federal power? Why did he not approach the Supreme Court to challenge it, if he really was sincere about it?”
Ardo said, “Besides, this memo is self-contradictory. While its central thrust is accusing the federal government of perpetrating the carnage in the name of Boko Haram, he then turned around suggesting as a solution what he called a declaration of Northern Nigerian Amnesty to the culprits and consequently squarely address all other matters connected with the amnesty and Boko Haram syndrome.
“If the federal government is the culprit, as he suggested, who is being given the amnesty then? Also, terrorism is a federal and not a state crime. Where then do northern governors have the power to grant amnesty to the culprits?”
The emergency rule that was extended by six months would end on April 19 and the governors of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, all of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) and the political elite in Borno and Yobe have called for an end to the emergency rule, which they believe has failed to achieve its goal.
A serving general accused those against the presence of troops of being selfish and inconsiderate.
“Those governors and the so-called stakeholders are not helping their people. Most of them are not living in their home states, or at most they are living in the urban centres that are safe, but they should consider the common people who are being killed by these criminals on a daily basis and should we withdraw our troops, it would be suicidal for the masses living in those three states.
“We would make this clear to the commander-in-chief, President Goodluck Jonathan, I am very sure there is going to be a meeting of the security chiefs next week, where all the options would be laid bare on the table. Those calling for the withdrawal of the troops are up to something, which we do not understand. I wish we knew it, or they come out to say it loud and clear instead of attacking the military.”
A Presidency source said, “The issue will be tabled before the Security Council meeting on Wednesday. Whatever the meeting resolves would largely determine what to be done.
“If they say no extension, there will be none. But if they call for it then there will not be any problem if the president makes a fresh request before the National Assembly. The whole issue has become political.”
The chief of air staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu, last week explained that the complexity of the operations against terrorism, anywhere in the world, makes it difficult to predict when it could end. But he gave an assurance that the elusive peace would have been restored before February 2015, to ensure the general election holds there.
“Don’t forget that in the fight against terrorism and the insurgency, there are about four aspects involved; you have the issue of the counter and the anti, the issue of political intervention and economic situation. But the first is that if there is no peace, the only thing you can do is the anti, you can go ahead with the counter and the anti – terrorism. The aspect of introducing the economic activities is almost suspended if the peace is not there. There are variables that would prevent you from achieving your target date.”
But a military source confided in our correspondent that the option to the emergency rule is the implementation of the Anti-terrorism Act.
“If the emergency rule is not extended, we have Plan B and that is the Anti-terrorism Act. Whatever the emergency rule allowed is also accommodated in the Act. So, those who are calling for the withdrawal of the troops are not aware of this. I advise them to go and study the law before standing against the emergency rule.”
No comments:
Post a Comment